Rosemary-Skewered Grilled Scallops with Pine Nut-Raisin Compote
Ingredients
· 18 Sea Scallops
· 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
· 4 tablespoons olive oil
· Salt and freshly ground pepper
· ½ cup Pine Nuts
· 1 cup raisins (or substitute dried cranberries)
· 1 cup sweet sherry (or use any fruit desert aperitif wine, like Silver Sage or Hornby Island)
· 6 large sprigs rosemary, 6 to 8 inches in length
Directions
-
Rinse the scallops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss the scallops to coat and let marinate for 20 minutes.
-
Prepare a hot fire in the grill.
-
Place the pine nuts in a sauté pan and set it on the hot grate. Toast the pine nuts, continuously moving and shaking the pan to evenly toast them, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same warm sauté pan, combine the raisins and sherry. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until the raisins are plump and the sherry is reduced to a thick, glossy, sticky compote. Stir in the toasted pine nuts and reserve until later.
-
Remove the scallops from the marinade and reserve the marinade. With a scallop in one hand and a rosemary sprig in the other hand, begin to thread the scallop sidewise onto the rosemary. Arrange 3 scallops on each skewer.
-
Oil the grate. Arrange the skewers on the grate and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side, brushing with the reserved marinade. The scallops are done when they are firm and no longer translucent.
-
Transfer to a serving dish, spoon the compote over the scallops, and serve.
2004 Douglas Rodriguez, Latin Flavours on the Grill . Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif. Recipe found on page 49.